Hi Laurel!
Welcome to planDisney. I’m so glad you stopped by with this question. What a magical trip you’re planning with your friends and family! Dining together is one of my favorite parts of a Walt Disney World vacation, and I love that you’re already thinking ahead about reservations.
The good news is that only one person needs to be logged into their My Disney Experience account to make an
Advance Dining Reservation for your full party of 8. You do not all need to be linked under Family & Friends to book it. As long as the person making the reservation includes the correct number of Guests, the entire table will be held under that one reservation. When you arrive at the restaurant, just let the Cast Member at check-in know the names of your whole group, and you’ll be seated together.
That said, I do recommend
linking everyone under Family & Friends if possible. It makes things much smoother if you’d like to share plans, see one another’s dining reservations in the app, share all your
PhotoPass memories, or book Lightning Lanes together. Plus, it’s just fun to see each other’s plans all in one place!
Oh, and one more tip from experience: for a group of 8, try to be flexible with dining times. Larger party reservations can sometimes be tricky to snag at popular spots, so don’t be afraid to book earlier or later meals, or even divide into two smaller tables and request to be seated together when you arrive. Cast Members always do their best to make the magic happen!
I hope this helps you feel ready to conquer dining reservations for your magical crew! If you’d like, let me know which restaurants you’re hoping to try, and I’ll be happy to share a few of my favorites for big groups.
Here’s to laughter, full tummies, and a sprinkle of pixie dust!
Emille